Man it’s difficult deciding what to do for muskrat and mink trapping. I’ve heard so much much like make sure your traps are heavy but there’s things for light traps, coilspring vs long spring. 11vs1vs1.5, chain length. Add wire or no wire, chain lengths, tangle stake, heavy trap, drowning lock, different drowning systems, what to do in shallow, and what to do in deep, huts, bank dens, runs, slides. Things can change in narrow ditches vs large lakes and rivers it’s too much. How do you suggest I navigate this information?

Yep, ask ten trappers, get 150 answers! Takes patience and experience.

Don't take this the wrong way.... but maybe stop asking so many questions and depend a little bit on your experience in the field to teach you.

Experience.

Muskrats are a bit tricky to navigate starting out because to me, there are three modes of muskrat trapping. First is Marsh trapping which is mostly hut and feedbed trapping. Second is ponds and lakes which can have some elements of marsh trapping, but largely is limited to bank dens and slides and some toiletss. Lastly are creeks and rivers, which is largely slides, toilets, pocket sets, bottom edge sets,I dont even look for dens.

The rest of it personal preference.

run whatcha brung, aka use what you have available. I think if you let people know what you have available they could advise you better as to how to set.

Well I have 3 #1.5cs 1 #1cs 2#1ls 3 #110 3#120 2#11dls 4 #11 dls double jaw 1 #1 jump trap, I trap in ditches between 2’-8’ wide(deep and shallow),ponds with mixes of shallow and deep water, and I’m hoping to trap a river here this season sometime. I just am curious as to how much chain I should have and if I should use drowning locks, tangle stakes, or just rely on the weight of a trap. All I did last season was use the standard chain length with a tangle stake and it worked in ditches but not as well in ponds.

Mink trapping... try minktrapping.com


Great site

Learn to use conibears in runs and bottom edge sets and set foot holds tight to structure and shallow. That's 90 percent of it.
Mink and rat trapping is only as complicated as you make it.

Find some number nine wire or other heavier wire to use as a drowner wire if you need to run your catch to deep water. People have old coils of wire you can get for nothing. You can make drowning locks out of old flat washers you can find. Put them in a vice and bend them over with a hammer and drill a couple holes and you are set. You never know when you will catch a big coon so in a set that might catch a coon, make it strong.

Use a wire hooked to a tree root or strong stake, go toward a deep hole or water over the animals head . Cut your wire over the deep water and twist a loop in it for a stop that will catch the lock and keep your catch in deep water. Then put another piece on the stop loop you made and hook it on the other side of the creek. Even if a big coon has a hind leg catch and doesnt drown he will be sitting in deep water looking at you when you get there. Mink or muskrat will be drown.

Don't try and have your sets all figured out before you trap, gather ideas from everyone and then add them to your bag of tricks. When I am walking a creek, river, lake shore, I am always looking for great sets and ways to try new ideas. If you get a chance now go look around and plan sets now without really doing it.

I get where he's coming from. I'm new also, and I'm excited about this upcoming season. It's hard being young (I'm not, lol) and having to wait SOOOO long to put what you've learned to use!

Mason, just absorb everything you can, and when you're able, experiment...most of these guys didn't get started with social media at their fingertips. You'll get it, just be patient, Lord only knows I'm trying to be!

What type of rat habitat will you trap? Also will you open water trap only or trap open water and through the ice. Moving water typically is a lot different than flat water for trapping rats. Once you know the habitat you have and when you will be trapping that will narrow things down considerably. If you are going to trap a wide range of habitat and soft and hard water then there are more options.
You can narrow your options down a lot even with a wide variety of habitat. Also remember that you will find a personal preference over time.
Do you want to use traps that you can use for many species? Say 1.5 coil spring, good rat trap, mink trap, coon trap and fox trap. You can then work on extending chains etc.
If you choose 110s, 1 stoploss, colonies then you are limiting more to just rats and mink, okay but you will need traps for other species if you want to trap for those as well.
Using footholds you want to prevent the rat from wringing out of the trap and there are ways you can do that with traps, weight, chain length and set location.
The one advantage of body grippers and colonies is they eliminate the wring offs.

Bryce

Don’t overthink it. Use bits and pieces of all the info you’ve gotten on here. Every location is different. Do what YOU think is best for that set. If it doesn’t work, make changes till it does. Eventually you will get experience and will figure out ways that work for YOU. Everyone does things a little different from each other. Trying new things and learning from it is what makes trapping fun. Your young and have a long time to learn. Stay positive and keep after it. You can’t learn everything over night. Good luck this season.

Hang in there!

Moosetrot

Don't know what ohio's laws are but my favorite muskrat traps are 160's, followed very closely by 1.5 coils on drowners. I trap a variety of places and at some i use one type of set, at others i use a combination. It takes time but you must learn to use what works for you in a given area. It is not so much about the particular trap or set as how "you" want to use it, Personal preference. For instance would you rather have a ford or a chevy. Both work it is just what fits your preferences. Remember that you are not locked into the choices that you make today --- they will change with experience.

I trap in many habitats mostly for ditches it’s grassy and gravely and for ponds muddy and weedy. I’ll trap open water or through ice and I already own most of the traps I’m going to use this season and they are going to be targeted at mostly one or 2 species.

I get what your saying. I have already started to get my preferences, like I prefer long spring in water trapping more than coils, and I like tangle stakes in narrow ditches and heavy fat staked traps in shallow ponds.

I don't dare do something like that here (will valley) as my nutria and coon would cause me many losses of traps. lots of differences even a few miles away.

what is that white stuff on the ground???

Sounds like you are on the right path --- too bad that experience takes so long to obtain. You will do well as long as you keep questioning and observing everything you come into contact with. Just keep asking yourself " why did this occur"